John Predmore, S.J., is a USA East Province Jesuit and was the pastor of Jordan's English language parish. He teaches art and directs BC High's adult spiritual formation programs. Formerly a retreat director in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Ignatian Spirituality is given through guided meditations, weekend-, 8-day, and 30-day Retreats based on The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Ignatian Spirituality serves the contemporary world as people strive to develop a friendship with God.
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Thursday, January 3, 2013
Poem: Tell it Slant
Tell all the truth but tell it slant -
Success in Circuit lies
Too bright for our infirm Delight
The Truth's superb surprise
As Lightning to the Children eased
With explanation kind
The Truth must dazzle gradualy
Or every man be blind -
I didn't recognize the Emily Dickinson poem and had to look it up. It is rather a disturbing idea. Perhaps when dealing with children or sick people or other vulnerable populations (or despots and armed criminals), it is necessary to deliver unwelcome or upsetting news gradually, but surely for normal communication with adults, truth disclosure can be straightforward? The word "slant" immediately calls to mind the kind of biased (interesting that "bias" also means "aslant") news reporting that is becoming sadly common even in the mainstream media where the editing process starts with the selection of even which truths are to be presented and which are to be suppressed, and then progresses to "renaming and reframing" the news to favor whatever political or social agenda that news service favors. I'm a scientist, so presenting actual facts clearly and impartially seems the right thing to do, but I suppose it depends on what sort of truths are being presented. "The cube-root of 8 is 2" and "Actually I've always despised your mother" clearly require different handling. Perhaps when the One who said He was "The way, the truth and the life" was presented, it was indeed necessary to present Him gradually--first as a harmless baby, then a helpful young man providing miraculous wine for a wedding, then a gifted public speaker with exciting interpretations of Torah, then a powerful healer, gradually working up to the Transfiguration which indeed dazzled the three onlookers. But what is the practical implication for us, when we try to share Him with the world? Should we evangelize sneakily by circuitous paths or boldly proclaim? Will the Truth dazzle and blind the listeners or just reveal to them that they have been blind up till that moment? Something to mull over carefully.
Yes, we have to call all of our skills and bring them forward when we are communicating. Sometimes, pacing is the best policy. Sometimes, placing things out there clearly is the best method. The thing is we cannot speak until we know that people are willing and able to listen. This is the first and most essential ingredient. Read how many times Jesus said, "For those who have ears, let them hear." Many people cannot, will not listen because something is going on with them - loss, fear, anger, whatever. What sense is there to speak then? One has to be skillful in communicating, which involves many styles and techniques. It is an ever-changing pursuit of the possible.
Listening is indeed as complicated an art as speaking. Silencing that inner clamor, the distractions, the counterarguments we can't wait to deliver, the overlay of all the other voices who have given us a similar message and our emotional reactions to them, the impatience, the boredom----it is a great achievement to truly hear another, and even harder, to hear the "still small voice" of God.
I just finished a detective novel by Louise Penny in which one of the characters is a particularly aggressive and presumptuous new policewoman who always thinks she knows better. In a previous book, she had caused serious problems and everyone wanted the chief to fire her. Instead, he assigned her to a job in a solitary room in the basement where she monitored all incoming and outgoing communications with the station. There was no need for her to ever speak. She was forced to learn to listen. In this novel, her newfound ability to listen attentively even to snippets of background sounds from a kidnapping scene allows her to realize there is a large terrorist event being planned. Even though she gets no credit for it, she saves thousands of lives. "They also serve, who only stand and wait." And listen.
Right on. We will be much better off when we can listen wholly. Thanks for the story of listening. We have powerful instances around us from which we can learn a great deal. It is difficult for some of us to break our patterns of reacting when we need to learn to respond instead.
I didn't recognize the Emily Dickinson poem and had to look it up. It is rather a disturbing idea. Perhaps when dealing with children or sick people or other vulnerable populations (or despots and armed criminals), it is necessary to deliver unwelcome or upsetting news gradually, but surely for normal communication with adults, truth disclosure can be straightforward? The word "slant" immediately calls to mind the kind of biased (interesting that "bias" also means "aslant") news reporting that is becoming sadly common even in the mainstream media where the editing process starts with the selection of even which truths are to be presented and which are to be suppressed, and then progresses to "renaming and reframing" the news to favor whatever political or social agenda that news service favors. I'm a scientist, so presenting actual facts clearly and impartially seems the right thing to do, but I suppose it depends on what sort of truths are being presented. "The cube-root of 8 is 2" and "Actually I've always despised your mother" clearly require different handling. Perhaps when the One who said He was "The way, the truth and the life" was presented, it was indeed necessary to present Him gradually--first as a harmless baby, then a helpful young man providing miraculous wine for a wedding, then a gifted public speaker with exciting interpretations of Torah, then a powerful healer, gradually working up to the Transfiguration which indeed dazzled the three onlookers. But what is the practical implication for us, when we try to share Him with the world? Should we evangelize sneakily by circuitous paths or boldly proclaim? Will the Truth dazzle and blind the listeners or just reveal to them that they have been blind up till that moment? Something to mull over carefully.
ReplyDeleteYes, we have to call all of our skills and bring them forward when we are communicating. Sometimes, pacing is the best policy. Sometimes, placing things out there clearly is the best method. The thing is we cannot speak until we know that people are willing and able to listen. This is the first and most essential ingredient. Read how many times Jesus said, "For those who have ears, let them hear." Many people cannot, will not listen because something is going on with them - loss, fear, anger, whatever. What sense is there to speak then? One has to be skillful in communicating, which involves many styles and techniques. It is an ever-changing pursuit of the possible.
DeleteListening is indeed as complicated an art as speaking. Silencing that inner clamor, the distractions, the counterarguments we can't wait to deliver, the overlay of all the other voices who have given us a similar message and our emotional reactions to them, the impatience, the boredom----it is a great achievement to truly hear another, and even harder, to hear the "still small voice" of God.
DeleteI just finished a detective novel by Louise Penny in which one of the characters is a particularly aggressive and presumptuous new policewoman who always thinks she knows better. In a previous book, she had caused serious problems and everyone wanted the chief to fire her. Instead, he assigned her to a job in a solitary room in the basement where she monitored all incoming and outgoing communications with the station. There was no need for her to ever speak. She was forced to learn to listen. In this novel, her newfound ability to listen attentively even to snippets of background sounds from a kidnapping scene allows her to realize there is a large terrorist event being planned. Even though she gets no credit for it, she saves thousands of lives. "They also serve, who only stand and wait." And listen.
Right on. We will be much better off when we can listen wholly. Thanks for the story of listening. We have powerful instances around us from which we can learn a great deal. It is difficult for some of us to break our patterns of reacting when we need to learn to respond instead.
Delete